Catch
by Insomnia Productions
Summary: Being a ninja isn't easy. The world is changing. Ino is sent on a highly dangerous undercover mission to spy on and assassinate one of the world's most powerful men. Shikamaru does not approve. Others are dragged into the fray. ShikaIno.
1. To Be a Ninja

**A/N:** Shikamaru's powers were in part inspired by two sources—a character of Zoe's and Peter Pan. Fic was partially inspired by Drip Dry's "Melt Me". Go read it! It's awesome. ♥

ooooo

Shikamaru would never get used to the new Konoha Academy's height. He hated looking up at it because it made him dizzy and affirmed a batophobia he had and never really knew existed. Normally he just stalked straight into the building without looking up, but he was tired and stunned and possibly a little bit in shock. So he stood there with his head tilted up and his hands in his pockets, wondering what it would be like to fall from something so fucking high.

One of the ANBU's nudged his back impatiently. "Come on. The Hokage is expecting a report."

"Shhh." Shikamaru continued to stare up at the building, feigning deep thought. A perk of being a genius was that people always assumed your mind was constantly going. In reality, Shikamaru was trying to get his bearings back from an uncomfortable vertigo.

"Your injuries, Shikamaru..." This ANBU was being particularly annoying.

"Yeah, yeah." Shikamaru let out a breath and slowly stalked into the building. He was favoring his left side and trickling a trail of blood after him.

How troublesome.

Thankfully, Tsunade-sama didn't take her sweet time in calling him in. Perhaps it was because she knew that he had returned right when he stepped into the building. In his exhaustion, he neglected to keep his powers in check. All shadows stretched towards him. He was like the anti-sun.

"Shikamaru!" she boomed, catching his arm. He closed his eyes and relished in her chakra flow, the smaller of his wounds closing up. He even let himself be dragged into her office without complaint. Besides, it would have been too much of a hassle to fight back. Tsunade would more than happily kick his ass if he even tried.

She pushed him unceremoniously onto an overstuffed, uncomfortable arm chair and sat back down behind her desk, glaring at him expectantly. He stared unyieldingly at her. She stared back.

He was the one who eventually gave. "Your 'B ranked mission' turned out to be an A." His tone was grumpy.

Tsunade looked at the ceiling and Shikamaru frowned. She had known it was all along. He leaned forward, hands on his knees and eyes narrowed. "Why did you accept it? B rank pays less." As if she didn't already know.

"Konoha's late start in the industrialized world threw us back a step. We don't really have a choice. Despite the...fame Sasuke and Naruto brought us from their..." she coughed and looked for a good word, "...'excursions', we're still behind in the race."

"So you toss us out on harder missions that pay less." Smart thinking. He didn't say the last bit out-loud, but Tsunade easily read it in his look.

"For now, you're just going to have to deal with it. I don't like it as much as you don't, Shikamaru. So."

Shikamaru stood up. "The mission was successful. If I may?"

Tsunade looked up at him for an apologetic moment, and then sighed and waved her hand. "I'll send Sakura up for your wounds. Send up a full, written report when you get the chance." As in, tonight. Or tomorrow.

Shikamaru grunted and walked out.

**Catch**  
Chapter One: To Be a Ninja  
by Clara

Shikamaru liked his room dim because it gave his shadows free roam. It was comforting. He liked to think the shadows were protecting him, but could never be fully certain. They tended to do what they wanted, and _usually_ they wanted to help him, but sometimes they were cranky. But they still made him feel better, regardless of their (un)willingness to help.

Which is why he was just a bit annoyed when a ray of sunshine burst into his room uninvited and threw his windows open, causing the shadows to retreat immediately.

"Shikamaru!" a warm voice bubbled.

"Ino," was Shikamaru's much more subdued response. "I hate you."

"Good to see you too, Shikamaru! I'm doing well, thank you. And yourself?" She flopped down gracelessly next to him, folding her hands behind her back. He resolutely did not lift his face from the pillow. He did peek a little, though, to see one of his shadows slide onto her hand. She tried to hold it, but it remained intangible. It always surprised him the way his shadows seemed to prefer her over anyone else.

"What are you doing here?"

"Why, visiting my bestest friend in the entire world," she cooed sarcastically, holding up a hand to the ceiling as the shadow danced around on her wrist and wisped between her fingers. "I heard you came back from a dangerous mission and wanted to see how you were doing."

"Fine," he grumbled, ducking back down. She rudely poked his side and he jumped a little in pain and surprise.

Ino rolled her eyes and turned to face him. "Is Sakura coming up?"

Shikamaru shrugged, not willing to answer verbally.

"Jeez, I come all this way to make sure you're still whole," that brought unwanted images of Shikamaru broken apart to both their minds, "and this is the thanks I get? You're _so_ ungrateful."

"I'm tired," he grumped. "I've been gone for three weeks and haven't seen a bed for two and a half, and I just want to sleep."

Ino ignored his pleas. Another shadow had joined the first, and Ino couldn't decide if they were playing or doing something inappropriate. She decided she didn't want to know.

"You're shadows are friendly."

"Not usually." His voice was even more grumpy. With all the smarts he had, he couldn't figure out for the life of him why his shadows adored Ino.

"Sometimes at night..." She paused uncertainly, lifting her other hand up to pet one of the shadows. Shikamaru could feel it hum in his bones and shifted.

"Sometimes what?"

She shook her head and didn't answer. Shikamaru scowled and flipped over on his back. "Sometimes _what_, Ino."

She lay there silently for a moment, trying to pinch the shadow. It went intangible with every attempt. "Sometimes at night I'll wake up and—"

But she was interrupted as another burst of sunlight exploded into his room and threw himself on the other side of Shikamaru. He was followed by his own moody shadow. Shikamaru groaned and draped an arm across his eyes, even as Naruto sprawled himself across both him and Ino.

"I'm so sorry!" Naruto chirped unapologetically. "Did I interrupt something?" He deadweighted on them and Ino pounded on his head with her pillow uselessly.

"Naruto, you dumbass! Shikamaru's injured!"

Shikamaru glanced up at the ceiling in resignation, then to Sasuke, who had assumed the aloof Uchiha position in the corner of the room. The aristocratic Sasuke was not suited for the change in the world—the old ways Sasuke practiced were unwelcome and could not survive in the industrial boom. And though he possibly could have adapted, he was unable to defeat Naruto, who had accepted and embraced the change. It was impossible for Sasuke to be immune to Naruto's determination. He fought like hell at first, but Naruto wore him down. And though Naruto was assigned by Tsunade to watch over Sasuke in her own determination not to lose someone who reminded her so strongly of Orochimaru (penance for failing so miserably with her teammate), Sasuke's own dark eyes never ceased to follow Naruto. There was something sinister in his look, but Shikamaru was not sure it was entirely malevolent.

Naruto was oblivious to Shikamaru's thoughts as he used Ino's stomach as a pillow and Shikamaru's chest as a leg rest. "Hey, hey!" It surprised Shikamaru that Naruto somehow retained his cheer and innocence despite all the changes. But the new world _suited_ Naruto, and he suited this new world. "How went your mission? Hey, Ino, your stomach makes a great pillow. It's so soft!"

Shikamaru was saved from having to respond to Naruto as Ino cheerfully began smacking Naruto's face with her pillow. Shikamaru glanced at Sasuke, who seemed enthralled in a kunai. Shikamaru could see the tenseness in his shoulders.

"You know," Shikamaru interrupted, "If I wasn't hurt before—" He pushed at one of Naruto's flailing legs, which was repeatedly crushing his ribs, "I'm sure something's broken now."

Sasuke started forward to grab Naruto, but he was interrupted by someone once again barging into Shikamaru's room.

"Naruto! Sasuke. Ino?" It was amusing how the tone of Sakura's voice changed with each name. 'Naruto' was accusing, 'Sasuke' was confused and tinged with sadness, and 'Ino' was scandalized. Sai looked out of place at Sakura's side and Chouji peeked over Sai's shoulder in confusion.

Shikamaru's single bedroom was becoming a regular zoo.

"I was kind of hoping for some sleep, you know," Shikamaru told his ceiling as Naruto allowed himself to be pushed off the bed by an irate and bemused Sakura. She kept throwing surreptitious glances at Ino, who ignored her in favor of examining the shadow that snaked itself around her wrist like a bracelet.

"Ino," Sakura said hesitantly. They had grown closer over the years, but Ino never could fully forgive Sakura, nor completely trust her again. Sakura was well-aware of this. "You'll need to get off the bed."

Ino shrugged and stood up, before primly sitting on Naruto's stomach. Shikamaru looked at Saskue, who apparently decided the threat was gone.

Sakura waited for a moment, as if expecting everyone else to leave the room. Chouji simply settled himself on Shikamaru's armchair to wait patiently, Ino showed off her new bracelet to Naruto who admired it appropriately, and Sai examined a picture of the original Team 10 with their original teacher.

Sakura scrunched her nose, examining Shikamaru. "Take off your shirt."

Shikamaru pulled his shirt off unashamedly and made quick work of the dirty bandages he had used to tie his older wounds. He graciously made no comment at the way Sakura's eyebrows raised and the way her eyes quickly darted admiringly across his torso.

Ino was not quite as tactful.

She leaned on the side of the bed and poked a nasty green bruise on Shikamaru's left side. He pulled a face at her and she just ignored him. "Are you going to continue ogling, forehead-girl, or are you going to do something about these wounds?"

Sakura blushed a bit and the other members of Team 7 glanced towards the two girls, before deciding that it was just their usual antics. Good. Tension between the two powerful teams was better to avoid.

"You really did a number on yourself, Shikamaru," Sakura tutted, deft fingers and chakra manipulating Shikamaru's own chakra flow to pool around his wounds, forcing them to heal with her guidance. The shadows sprung to life, startling most in the room. They didn't show it.

"Ow," Shikamaru grunted. It didn't really hurt, but he wasn't fond of the way the skin pulled around the cuts. Sakura ignored him.

"Broken ribs, several contusions, no internal bleeding, that's good—" Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Her forehead, Shikamaru decided, wasn't that big. People were so vain. "Some of these cuts look a little old, Shikamaru. Why didn't you treat them?"

He shrugged. "Didn't have time."

"So you risked infection?"

"I didn't exactly have many options. It was either stop and clean and get my head cut off or keep running."

Naruto leaned on the bed in an identical imitation of Ino's pose, arms crossed and chin resting on the back of his wrists. He poked the same bruise Ino did, and Shikamaru glared in annoyance.

"That actually hurts, you know."

Maybe it was a Team 7 thing, but Naruto ignored his complaint, too. "So was it really an A rank mission? Lame."

Ino shifted those pale blue eyes to Shikamaru's face lazily, which meant instant death. "I thought it was a B rank."

"So did I," Chouji chimed in, sounding annoyed. "You should have told us it was going to be dangerous."

Shikamaru groaned, pressing his hands against his eyes. All these people crowding in his room was draining his energy. "It was supposed to be a B rank mission. It didn't end up that way." His teammates didn't look impressed.

"You weren't adequately supplied for an A rank mission," Ino protested, voice rising a bit.

"Hey!" Sakura snapped. "Stop it, both of you. You're making Shikamaru's chakra go crazy."

Girls, Shikamaru decided bitterly, were not worth the trouble. He relaxed back against his pillow and closed his eyes, ignoring the prying looks from Chouji and Ino. Finally, Sakura pulled back.

"You're not completely healed, Shikamaru, but you should be fine if you take it easy for a bit. When's your next mission?"

"Not for another week." He sat up and rubbed where the bruise had once been. Sakura was good at what she did. "Thanks. Uh. Good job?"

For some reason, this made Sakura blush again. Maybe because he was topless. Whatever the reason was, Ino did not look very happy.

Even with all those damn smarts, he would never understand the way girls work.

"Well, I'll see you at lunch," Sakura muttered nervously.

"Dinner," Sasuke corrected. He sounded amused, which was not comforting. Sasuke never sounded amused.

"Dinner! Dinner, right."

Ino was looking even more deadly.

His head was starting to hurt. "Okay," he said, and tried to will everyone from his room with his mind. Unfortunately, his brain power wasn't quite like Ino's. Ino, who was acting _jealous_, which didn't make a damn bit of sense and made his head hurt even more. Maybe his chest had powers. Beware of the Nuclear Nipples!

His mind, he decided, worked in very strange ways.

"Okay," Sakura repeated, then threw a jerky wave and darted out of the room. Sai glanced up from the dusty book he had found on Go.

"I guess that's our cue to go. You okay, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru shrugged. He wasn't in the mood to talk anymore.

"Right. Well, don't go trying to lift automobiles or anything like that." He waved and strolled out of the room.

And then there were five.

Shikamaru didn't mind Naruto that much. When they were growing up, the teachers often paired them together in order to keep them out of everyone else's way. He remembered those incidents with something akin to fondness. The two of them were always given a simple assignment, but in the end neither of them cared (or, in Naruto's case, understood) enough to get anything done. What usually resulted when they were supposed to present their assignment in front of the class was total anarchy, in the form of a hyperactive blond kid with unknown skill and way too much imagination.

It was Sasuke who made him uncomfortable, with good reason. But wherever Naruto went, Sasuke was there. It wasn't always Sasuke's fault, though. Naruto was just as much a stalker as Sasuke was. But who could blame them? They were both social outcasts, shunned from society for events that spun so out of their control that they responded the only ways they knew how. In the end, they needed each other to balance out.

It was depressing.

Naruto poked Shikamaru on the side again and puckered his lips. "I'll," we'll, "go too, so you can get your aloooone time with Inooo." He made obnoxious kissing sounds at Shikamaru, and both Shikamaru and Ino snorted and rolled their eyes at the same time. This had to have been a habit he picked up from Ino. How troublesome. "Come on, Sasuke! Before they start making out in front of us. Ewww."

He bounded out of the room with Sasuke in tow, the only one able to manhandle the stoic Uchiha without getting his face ripped off. That said a lot.

Back to Team 10. Shikamaru finally allowed himself to relax completely, letting out a long breath. The three sat in companionable silence for a long moment, Shikamaru sprawling out on his bed—too lazy to pull the blankets up around him, Ino distractedly playing with the shadow on her wrist, and Chouji frowning at his hands.

"Did you have to kill, Shikamaru?" Chouji finally asked, quietly. Shikamaru started violently, then lifted his hands to cover his face. A moment later, he felt a small hand on his arm, and a moment after, a larger one joined it. He didn't cry, because ninjas _didn't cry_, but his breath was ragged.

"It doesn't get any easier," he grit out. Ino's hand squeezed his bicep.

"If it did, you'd be a monster."

His breath hitched and he barked out a quick, sharp laugh. "So, what the hell am I now? A hero?"

Ino hushed him soothingly, gentle fingers smoothing his hair. She had nothing to say to that.

That night brought little reprieve.

ooooo

The next morning, Shikamaru was late for breakfast. This was nothing new, and Ino figured he also needed sometime for himself. She dished up a plate for him, anyway, and took her seat across from Chouji. She caught his chopsticks with her own before he could steal any of Shikamaru's food.

"Shikamaru still not up?" He asked around a mouthful of food, lifting a hand to hide his mouth in respect for Ino. She nodded and started on her grapes.

"I got a message from Tsunade," Ino said casually, concentrating on peeling the skin from her grape. Chouji's eyebrows shot up.

"Tsunade? She didn't go through Sasuke? Or Naruto?" Though Naruto had the official title of leader of the ANBU, Sasuke practically held joint rank with the blond. No one complained. Though Naruto calmed when behind his mask, he lacked strategy. Naruto and Sasuke, even as ANBUs, worked best together.

"No. It was directly from Tsunade." She popped the grape in her mouth, reaching for another.

"What did it say?"

"She wants to see me after Meditation."

"You think it's a mission?"

"I'm nearly positive." And an important one. The message was urgent.

"Maybe you shouldn't tell Shikamaru."

"Tell me what?"

Ino and Chouji jumped guiltily and Shikamaru raised his eyebrows, taking his seat next to Ino. "Or rather, _not_ tell me what?"

"If I told you, that wouldn't be not telling," Ino said quickly.

"I don't like surprises," Shikamaru grumbled, starting on his scrambled eggs. Ino snorted quietly. No wonder he complained whenever she added something different to his plate.

"It's nothing," Ino said cheerfully. Chouji happily shoveled food into his mouth. Sometimes, Ino thought Chouji was the smart one. Eating like that kept him from having to talk. "How are your wounds?"

Ino knew Shikamaru noticed her quick change in subject. He frowned at her. "Fine."

"Good. Good!" The harder she tried, the more obvious she became. Ino puffed out a breath and pressed her forehead into her hand. Lying was so easy for her, unless she had to lie to Shikamaru. How were you supposed to lie to someone who was a _genius_?

Luckily, Shikamaru thought it was too troublesome to bother. He most likely figured he would find out sooner than later.

"So, uh, what are you doing this morning?" Ino asked nervously, positive Shikamaru could see right through her.

"Day off. Iruka-sensei's subbing for me and I have leave from my classes for two more days."

"Oh, haha, that's cool!" Good lord, she was awkward. "What about you, Chouji?"

"I have a freee—" Ino kicked his shin. "—agh—I mean, _agghfter_, er, my third class." Chouji shot a surprised look at Ino. She tried to communicate with her eyes that she would tell him later. He accepted whatever he interpreted from her look and finished off his food. "Well! I better get going!"

Shikamaru blinked. "Only one plate?"

"Yeah. I'm um. Trying a new diet." Chouji winced. That sounded unbelievable to his own ears. "Besides, uh. I have Kakashi-sensei first period! And you know how he feels about students being late."

"He doesn't care," Shikamaru said flatly, frowning. "He's later than the students."

"Exactly! Which is why I have to be there on time. Later, guys!" Before Shikamaru could protest more, Chouji was up and hurrying out. He wiped forehead with the back of his hand with relief.

Shikamaru frowned at Ino. "You're making him weird. Stop it."

"Weird! Me! I'm not weird."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and pushed his half-eaten plate away, before fully turning towards Ino. "Okay, Ino. What's up."

"Nothing's up! Everything's perfectly fine. What makes you think something's up?"

"Because you just chased Chouji away. Somehow." His look was accusing, but not exactly mean. Especially when Ino jumped guiltily.

"Goddamnit, I hate that you're a genius. How'd you know?"

"Chouji doesn't have Kakashi-sensei first period. He has a free. And you have Weaponry first period, which means you're ditching." He frowned. "You shouldn't. Your forte isn't exactly your sword skills."

Ino glared at him. "If you're through insulting me, let's go for a walk."

The gardens at Konoha Academy were maintained by one man, who worked in multiple places at one time through Bunshin. He toiled like a robot, and more often than not scared the hell out of passing students by popping out from behind a fern to reach for a trowel. He had startled Ino on several occasions, that was for sure. Once he had dropped out of a tree straight in her path to get some clippers. She had screamed and reacted accordingly—by kicking the clone in the head and making it disappear in a puff of smoke.

The gardener immediately replaced the clone with another, more irritable looking one.

The result of having such a dedicated gardener, however, was a beautiful garden. And, since it was spring, everything was in full bloom. The gardener in Ino loved it. Most days, someone could find her relaxing near some flowers, pulling weeds despite the agitated clone hanging over her shoulder.

That day was especially beautiful. It wasn't too hot, but it was nice and warm. The sky was blue with a couple of fat fluffy clouds floating by, and the flowers were bright and cheerful. Even Shikamaru seemed to enjoy the fresh air.

"So, what did you drag me out here for?" He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked at Ino out of the corner of his eye.

"First, well." She frowned at him and held up her wrist. The shadow bracelet was still there, dimmed only by the bright sunlight. "He won't leave."

Shikamaru raised his eyebrows. "'He'?"

"Well, I figured since you're a boy and this is _your_ shadow, it's a he. Anyway, the point is he hasn't left my wrist once. _Why_?"

"My shadows don't always do what I want them to."

"Well, can you at least guess why he's imprinted himself on me?" Ino asked patiently, which meant she was this much closer to hitting him.

"Don't know. Maybe he likes you?"

Ino rubbed her temples. "And my mother wonders why I have such bad luck with men. The good ones aren't interested and the intangible ones get crushes on me."

Shikamaru chuckled in spite of himself. He touched the shadow on Ino's wrist and felt it thrum happily against his fingers. "Huh. Seems like 'he' wants to protect you."

"Protect me! I don't need protection."

Shikamaru shrugged, taking her small wrist in his hand. The shadow was cool against her warm skin.

"Can you get him off? He clashes with my clothing."

This time, Shikamaru was surprised into real laughter, which made Ino proud. "Somehow, I don't think so. You could probably get it to move, though."

Ino sighed dramatically. "How troublesome."

Another flash of a smile. Ino was on a roll today. "What else did you call me out here for?" He released her wrist.

Ino frowned down at her hands, running a finger across the shadow. She couldn't even feel it there, except a brush of cool air next to her skin. "Well. Uh."

"Spit it out, Ino."

"So, what do you think about Sakura?"

Whatever Shikamaru had been expecting, it wasn't that. "Sakura?"

"Yeah, she seemed interested in you," Ino said in a rush. "I mean, hey—"

"Not interested."

Ino looked surprised. Shikamaru was frowning again. "Why not?"

"Not only does she have Sasuke, Naruto, _and_ Sai—"

Ino opened her mouth to say something.

"—but she's not my type."

She closed her mouth again and cleared her throat. "At all?"

"Not in the slightest."

"...because...?"

"I don't know. Would you ever look at Naruto like that?"

Ino thought about it for a second, before shaking her head. "No. God. He's like a little brother. Or a weird cousin. You know, the kind you put up with because they're family."

"Exactly." Shikamaru frowned down at her. "Want to let me know why you're so jealous?"

"I am _not_ jealous. I just want to make sure, I guess."

"Fine, whatever." Shikamaru waved his hand dismissively. They sat down on one of the benches. "Tell me something."

"What?"

"What were you going to tell me last night?" She looked blankly at him and Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "You were saying that you woke up at night and..." He trailed off, waiting for her to finish his sentence.

"Oh! Oh, that's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"You're being really secretive lately."

"I like to think it gives me added mystery. Anyway, seriously, don't worry about it. It's not anything important."

Shikamaru glared at her. "Okay, then what were you not going to tell me at breakfast?"

Ino stared at him for a long, startled moment, and the bell rang. "Oh! Would you look at that! Gotta go, Shikamaru. We'll talk later!" She leapt to her feet and disappeared in a puff of smoke before he could ask her anything else. He scowled and rolled his eyes up to the sky, slouching further down on the bench. Girls were so fucking troublesome.

ooooo

Meditation was a class both Sakura and Ino had trouble with. They were much too distracted to try to empty their minds. Both probably would have been fine if they were separate, but togethery they were a menace to the class.

Sakura had decided to actually try that day, but she knew right when Ino entered the class that it was a lost cause. Ino, who normally wore her emotions on her sleeve, looked calmly pissed. Which meant someone was in a lot of trouble.

"Er. Hi, Ino. How's Shikamaru?" That seemed to spike Ino's anger. Oh, boy.

"He's doing much better, thank you. You seem pretty concerned about him."

Oh. Sakura got it now. Ino was jealous. "Well, he _is_ a friend."

"One you seem extremely interested in."

Iruka walked in before Sakura could answer, greeting the class in his calm, cheerful manner. It bothered some people that a chuunin was teaching upper level ANBU and jounins, but no one was quite as qualified in meditation as Iruka-sensei. Some joked it was because he had to deal with Naruto for so long. Sakura wouldn't be too surprised.

The students crossed their legs and folded their hands on their laps, backs straight. Sakura closed her eyes and tried focusing on her breathing. In, out. In, out.

"I don't like Shikamaru like that," she hissed out of the corner of her mouth.

"Good," Ino hissed back, "because he doesn't like you like that, either."

Sakura scowled slightly, not turning to face Ino. "Good, because I don't _want_ him to like me. Don't you have someone else to bother?"

She admitted she had been slightly attracted to Shikamaru on a purely physical level when she was checking his injuries the night before, but there was no way Sakura could ever see Shikamaru in a romantic light. He didn't _care_. About anything. Well, that wasn't necessarily true, but she couldn't stand to be with someone as unmotivated as the lazy jounin.

But he had a _really_ nice body.

"Why are you so jealous, anyway?" Sakura hissed after a moment. "Do you like him?"

"No!"

Iruka frowned towards Ino and Sakura. "Ino, you're disrupting other people's meditation. Please be quiet."

Sakura stuck her tongue out at Ino as the blonde seethed. They both fell silent. Of course, that didn't last. Sakura was way too interested in this sudden flip.

"I don't know, Ino-pig. You seem awfully posessive."

"I just don't want Shikamaru to be hurt. You're notorious for being fickle, you know," Ino sniffed quietly, cracking her eye open to look at Iruka. He was distracted by a large pile of papers, presumably written genin tests.

"Me! Fickle!"

Iruka glanced up from his papers. "_Sakura._."

"Sorry, Iruka-sensei!"

"Just be quiet, both of you. If I catch either of you talking again, you'll be welcome to leave my class. Meditation is important. To be able to separate your mind and your body may be an essential out on the field."

Both girls nodded quickly and, once again, fell silent.

"But if I were you, I wouldn't fall for Shikamaru." It was inevitable. Ino jerked slightly at Sakura's warning. "He'd probably never be interested in someone as bossy and annoying as you."

Ino grit her teeth.

"You're too..._troublesome_ for him."

"Shut up, Sakura."

Sakura wasn't so sure why she got so competitive and malicious with Ino. They didn't exactly hate each other anymore, but there was something about Ino that sparked Sakura's mean side.

"Besides, piggy, you're not _nearly_ cute enough."

"That's it." Ino's hands blurred as she hurried through her jutsu. To Sakura's surprise and horror, Ino's body slumped forward and suddenly Sakura's mind was more apart from her body than meditation could ever take her.

Oh, shit.

"My name is Sakura!" Sakura could hear her voice just fine, but she definitely wasn't talking, nor springing to her feet. "And my forehead is even bigger than Iruka-sensei's!"

There was a shock of loud, surprised laughter as the students were startled from their meditation. Ino had shot back to her body in the confusion (and before Sakura got the sense to kick her out via Inner Sakura Express), leaving Sakura standing in the middle of the room with her finger pointed at Iruka and a horrified look on her face.

Iruka rubbed his temples. "Okay, you two. Out. You can come back tomorrow. Hopefully by then you'll stop acting like my kindernins."

Ino shrugged and got up, shouldering her bag. She strolled out of the classroom with an apologetic smile to Iruka. Sakura put her hand to her face for a moment, before quickly gathering all her supplies and hurrying out after Ino. She caught a glance of Iruka taking off his headband to peer discreetly at his forehead in the reflection of the metal.

Sakura slugged Ino on the shoulder. "What the hell was that for?"

"You deserved it," Ino huffed.

"You didn't have to insult Iruka!"

"He's used to it." Ino rolled his eyes. "Look, I've got to go. Summons from the higher-ups and all."

Immediately, Sakura looked interested and slightly concerned. Tsunade rarely sent messages directly to anyone who wasn't in a leader position. "Oh yeah? Weird."

"Yeah. Later, forehead." Ino grinned at Sakura and reached over to tap her forehead lightly, before disappearing.

ooooo

Ino appeared in the waiting room of Tsunade's office, shifting nervously. Tsunade frightened her. She wasn't singled out like the geniuses of Konoha for any special trait of hers. It was flattering to know she was finally being recognized, but she couldn't help but to be a little freaked out. She didn't _want_ to be like the geniuses.

"Ino," Tsunade boomed from her office. "Come in."

Ino stared at the door apprehensively, before drawing in a deep breath and walking in.

_end chapter one_


	2. Match

**Catch  
**Chapter Two: Match  
by Clara

By his third period, Chouji was ravenous. In all of his classes he kept imagining different foods—sticky rice balls and pork rinds and mochi and yakizakana. His notes were filled with doodles of him eating.

Ino better appreciate what he was going through for her.

By the time he got to the end of his third period, he had gnawed through one of his pencils in an attempt to distract himself from the hunger pains. When the bell finally rang, he swore his vision was getting blurry.

To his surprise, Ino was standing at the door of his classroom. Several of the male students may have gotten whiplash from looking so quickly at her, but she had eyes only for Chouji at the moment, and he only had eyes for the large bag of food in her hand.

Ino held it up for him.

He grabbed it and sat down right against the wall outside his classroom, grabbing the first dish and digging in. Bliss.

"Ino, you're a lifesaver. Seriously." When Ino didn't answer, Chouji (who had regained some of his bearings after the first couple of bites) looked at her in surprise. His blonde teammate was silent and a shade paler, staring at her hands.

Specifically, at the shadow wrapped around her wrist.

Chouji slowed his eating to watch her patiently. When Ino felt ready to talk, she would. As a sort of offering, he took the pudding out she had added for dessert out of the bag and pushed it towards her.

Ino carefully picked it up, popping off the lid and slowly scooping out small bites. She set the pudding down after a moment. "Do you think this shadow decided to become an accessory because it somehow sensed I'd be in danger in the near future?"

Chouji stopped eating altogether, all his attention on Ino.

"I just got back from my meeting with Tsunade. My mission..." She trailed off and looked up at the ceiling, stretching her legs out in front of her. "Espionage and assassination, as usual."

"But?"

"It's an S rank mission."

Chouji hissed out a breath in surprise. He wanted to leap up, pound on Tsunade's door and demand to know what the hell she was thinking. Ino had never done an S rank mission on her own, and if he had any say in it she never would.

"Why is it such a high rank?" He was certain his voice was unsteady. The Ino-Shika-Cho team was closer than most. They _needed_ each other. Losing one was not an option. It was hard enough when Asuma was murdered.

"You know who Lord Katsuo is, right?"

Chouji's appetite disappeared. Lord Katsuo did not come from an old family. In fact, he was a no-name before the Great Industrialization. But during those shaky years, Katsuo not only rose in ranks but monopolized all the major distribution companies and took complete control over all trade. Katsuo effectively ruled the world.

"By yourself?" Chouji's voice was low and frightened. Ino nodded once, jerkily. "When do you leave?"

"Within three weeks. Look, Chouji, I wasn't supposed to tell anybody about this. I'm sure Tsunade realized I was going to tell you and Shikamaru regardless. But you _can't_ do anything rash. More than just our lives will be put at risk if you do."

Chouji clenched and unclenched his hands. Sometimes, it really fucking sucked being a ninja. "So, you're going to tell Shikamaru."

Ino smiled a bit, reaching over to give him a quick, one armed hug. "Of course. Hey, don't worry about me. I'm all grown up, now."

"I don't like this," Chouji muttered, looking down at his food unhappily. He knew Ino was smiling gently at him, but that didn't make him feel any better.

"I'll keep in contact with you. They're giving me a telecommunicator and a portable computer. How cool is that?"

"Not cool enough," Chouji said grumpily. "Shikamaru's not going to be happy."

Ino grinned. "For someone as brainy as he is, you'd think he'd be a little less irrational, right?" She stood up, looking a little better. "Come on. I've still got three weeks. And besides, it's not like I'm going to die or anything, right?"

Chouji stood up quickly and hugged Ino.

"Right?" Ino's voice was shaky. "I'll be fine. I'll be fine."

ooooo

Shikamaru had almost forgotten how nice it was to do nothing. He had met an old man in the city and started up a game of Go with him, one that lasted nearly all day. It was relieving and relaxing, and he even let the old man win just because he was so grateful for his company. The old man saw right through him and thanked him with a laugh, insisting they play again soon.

There was nothing more comforting, though, then his bed. He stretched out happily and closed his eyes.

He didn't even stir when his bed dipped down as someone crawled beside him. Shikamaru would recognize that chakra and scent of flowers anywhere.

"We've got to stop meeting like this," Shikamaru grumbled. At least she didn't throw any windows open this time.

Ino reached down to pull the blankets over them, saying nothing. She curled closer to him and even put her head on his chest. He tensed. She ignored it, concentrating on his heartbeat. He hoped it wasn't doing anything erratic, like skipping.

"Remember that thing I was not going to tell you?"

"Yeah, I don't remember it perfectly." He wondered what he was supposed to do with his hand. It seemed like it would be the most natural thing in the world to just wrap it around her, but he didn't. He could feel her smile against his chest and was sure his treacherous heart was beating faster than normal.

"Tsunade sent me a summon last night for after my meditation class." Ino plucked at the material on Shikamaru's shirt. "You're tense."

"What was it about?" he ground out.

"New mission."

"Rank?"

"S."

Shikamaru sucked in an angry breath, but Ino had successfully pinned him to the bed. Surging up would knock her to the floor. "I have to spy and assassinate Lord Katsuo," she whispered, as if someone could be listening. Her fears were unfounded. Konoha Academy's defense system was top of the line, impenetrable even by Katsuo's forces. "They picked me because of my skill, obviously, but also because of my looks." She smiled bitterly. "I put a whole new meaning to that old saying. 'If looks could kill'. Well, they do."

"Ino, you can't." His voice sounded a little broken. "There's no way—" Ino cut him off by putting her hand on his mouth.

She rolled her eyes at his furious expression. "You and Chouji, I swear. I _can_, and I will." She dropped her hand to reveal a dark frown. "It's sweet you guys worry about me, though."

Shikamaru glared at her, and she settled back down close to him.

"I'm not going to die, Shikamaru. They chose me for a reason."

"Because you're hot and he likes blondes?" Shikamaru snapped. That earned him a none-to-gentle pinch.

"Don't be crass." She didn't want to admit that he could be right.

"When do you have to go? And for how long?"

"I leave in three weeks. And for however long it takes." Her tone was matter-of-fact. She leaned up on her elbows and rested her chin on her hands. "We're ninjas, Shikamaru. This is our _life_."

Shikamaru scowled.

"There's really nothing you can do about it." She tried smiling comfortingly at him, but failed miserably. Shikamaru turned away from her and she flopped on her back, sighing at the ceiling.

They fell into an uncomfortable silence, Shikamaru glaring moodily at the wall. A reel of images was on a loop in his brain. Ino getting caught. Ino getting murdered. Ino being tortured.

"Sometimes, at night..." Ino said quietly. "I wake up."

"A lot of people do," Shikamaru muttered. She pinched him again.

"The shadows in my room dance."

Shikamaru turned slowly to face her. "The shadows dance?"

Ino smiled wistfully. "Yeah. Against the walls. They don't have any real form, just little wisps of black, but it's like. It's like someone's holding a candle in the middle of my room."

Shikamaru frowned at her. "I don't know what that means."

"I think they like me," Ino said smugly. "Your shadows have a crush on me."

Shikamaru snorted derisively and Ino scowled at him.

"What's so weird about that? You even said I was hot!"

Shikamaru closed his eyes. "I'm going to sleep."

The silence that time was a little less tense. Ino shifted closer to him, throwing an arm around his chest. He didn't protest.

They lay like that for a long moment. Ino must have thought Shikamaru fell asleep after a quarter hour, because she suddenly shifted up. He felt her soft hair brushing his face. He didn't dare open his eyes. Warm fingers brushed against his cheek. He forced himself not to react.

"I don't want to do this either, Shikamaru," Ino whispered. She pressed a gentle kiss on his forehead, before settling back down beside him and drifting off.

Shikamaru spent the night staring at the ceiling.

ooooo

The days before Ino had to leave for the city near Grass Country, where Lord Katsuo was living, went by much quicker than anyone anticipated. Shizune cut and styled Ino's hair, parting her bang so that it framed her face. Her straight blonde hair was teased and styled until it looked nearly messy.

Ino held out a strand and examined herself in a large mirror.

"I look like I just had sex," Ino grumped, scowling.

"It looks different," Chouji admitted, munching on some chips.

Ino pulled an unflattering face. "I don't like it." It was like she was looking at a different person in the mirror. She would not be allowed her ANBU mask, so she would have to hide her identity in a different manner. The thick powder and ruby lipstick and thick eyelashes framing her brown eyes—brown eyes with pupils, a trick with magicked contacts—made her look like an entirely different girl. Ayame. She took that name for its meaning. The language of flowers.

"You look good!" Chouji assured. "Besides, it's good you don't look like yourself."

Ino sighed and popped the contacts out of her eyes. Shikamaru stormed into the room and scowled. "You look like you just had sex."

Ino shot a look at Chouji: I told you so.

Ino had picked up the habit of sleeping in Shikamaru's room, a fact that did not go unnoticed. No one said anything. It was confusing. Though Ino slept beside Shikamaru every night, the two were acting more surly with each other than ever. Even Chouji was edgy. He hated when Shikamaru and Ino fought. He hated it even more when he wasn't entirely sure if they were fighting or not.

Shikamaru leaned against the doorframe, examining Ino in the mirror. She adjusted the hem of her purple dress self-consciously. Shikamaru's scowl deepened. He understood their strategy.

"Seduction," he spat. Ino winced.

"It's the easiest way to get information."

"So you become easy to take the easy way out."

"Shikamaru!" Chouji yelped.

Both Ino and Shikamaru ignored him. Ino's hands were fisted at her sides.

"This is my job, Shikamaru," Ino said, tone a cool warning.

"Your job is not prostitution," Shikamaru snapped.

"Bastard!"

"Shikamaru! Ino!" Chouji winced. He had never seen Shikamaru act like this before. He had a feeling even Shikamaru didn't know what he was doing, nor did he really mean it. Shikamaru didn't like it when things were out of is control. "Stop. This isn't accomplishing anything. Please calm down."

But they still tuned him out, eyes focused solely on each other.

"I," Ino started huskily. Her eyes were brighter than normal and her voice was shaking, "don't have a _choice_!" She shoved past Shikamaru bodily and stormed out.

Shikamaru was a shade paler and was breathing heavily. He slowly unclenched his hands and rubbed his temples.

"Why did you say that?" Chouji asked quietly.

Shikamaru pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to stem off a headache. "I hate this," he said quietly, turning to walk out.

Chouji was left alone in the room. He sat down on the cushioned stool in front of the vanity and sighed.

ooooo

There was something about trains that terrified Ino. The automobiles were bad enough—being confined to one small (albeit high roofed), bumpy space that smelled strangely of gasoline and generated its own heat to add on to the already sweltering day. But trains moved much faster than automobiles.

Ino's heart was pounding as she stood at her platform. Chouji stood beside her.

"He's not coming, is he?" Ino said staring at the tracks. She wasn't sure why she cared. A very large part of her was still furious at him, hurt by his accusing words. A smaller part knew why he was mad, and that he didn't mean what he said. Shikamaru was her teammate, and even more, one of her most important friends.

She didn't know when she would see him next. Or if she would ever see him again.

"He's just late, Ino," Chouji assured.

Ino glared at the tracks.

"Ino." Chouji put his hand on her shoulder. "Ino, how do you feel about Shikamaru?"

Protests leapt to Ino's lips, but she caught herself. "He's...Shikamaru," she said. A small smile played on her lips. "And I'm Ino. We're a match made in hell."

"But a match?"

Ino didn't answer.

"Well," Chouji said with a grin. "If you guys ever are matched, you have my support."

Ino laughed quietly. "I'll remember that. Thank you, Chouji."

"How much longer do we have?"

"An hour."

"I'm going to grab something to snack on. Want anything?"

"Can you grab me a bottle of sake?" Chouji shot her a disapproving look. "Okay, some water then." She smiled thankfully at him as he walked off, leaving her with a suitcase and a briefcase. The rest of her luggage had been sent ahead.

As soon as Chouji disappeared in the crowds, she was grabbed and dragged into the shadows. Her instincts kicked a second too late. She tried to grab a kunai. Her assailant pinned her arms to her sides with an unbreakable embrace, and the shadows leapt up to conceal them. Ino relaxed.

"I thought you weren't going to come," she said, fake brown eyes wide. Shikamaru touched her temple, not letting go. He examined her eyes carefully.

"If you were observant, you would have known I was here the entire time."

Ino rolled her eyes. "You're hiding your chakra, Shikamaru. How was I supposed to know you were there?"

"You're a ninja."

"You're a better one."

Shikamaru's fingers slipped to Ino's hair uncertainly. They had come to an uneasy truce after their fight, but everything was far from good between them. Ino had snuck into his room up until the very last night, but she kept her back turned to him and said nothing. Once he thought he heard her crying. He had been unable to do anything but to lie on his back with his eyes squeezed shut, wishing he wasn't a complete fucking moron. He had desperately wanted to apologize, to admit he was an idiot and that she deserved to kick his ass. But he said nothing, just listened to her quiet sobs muffled by his pillow. His shadows rioted on the walls, pissed at him for hurting her but as helpless to do anything as he was.

"Ino," Shikamaru said quietly. "Sorry."

Ino's lashes lowered. "I know. I'm sorry, too."

"I just." Shikamaru's grip tightened around her. "I think you're annoying. Brash. Bossy. Unreasonable. Impractical." Ino glared up at him, eyes flashing with hurt even behind those deceiving contacts. "You're mean and unfriendly."

"Thanks, Shikamaru. I'll miss you too. By the way, you totally suck at apologies." She made a move to pull away, but he didn't let go.

His kiss was far from gentle. It was fierce and open mouthed, desperate and slightly clumsy. After a moment she kissed back, at first hesitant and then just as urgently, surprised into submission. Small hands clenched his shirt and he pressed her against the wall. He tasted like cinnamon and cigarettes.

He pulled back first, dark eyes burning. "You better not die."

Ino was stunned silent. She couldn't even say anything as he left with his shadows.

Chouji was waiting for her when she returned to her baggage. He was sitting with her briefcase on his lap and happily munching on some chips. Ino looked down at him in a daze.

"I'd say it's at least an even match," Chouji said, cheerfully.

"You knew," accused Ino, sitting beside him. Chouji nodded and offered some chips. Ino just frowned at him. "What else do you know?"

"That he got to kiss you before Katsuo did," Chouji said, grinning widely.

"He _planned_ this?"

"If he did, he didn't tell me." Chouji shot her a penetrating look, then smiled again and motioned to his lips. Ino stared at him for a moment, before pulling out her compact. Her carefully applied lipstick was smudged and her lips were swollen from the ferocity of the kiss. Ino slowly closed her compact. The mirror reflected her slow blush.

"I always knew you two would end up together," Chouji said brightly. "Nara men are weird. They end up attracted to the women they swear they'd never want to be with. Look at Shikamaru's parents. Now _they're_ a match made in hell."

Ino groaned and dropped her head in her hands. "For a strategist, Shikamaru has crap timing."

"Or he has really good timing."

"Then he's a stupid coward." Ino griped, lifting a hand to rake her fingers through her hair in frustration, then dropping it when she realized that would mess up her hair. That made her even more frustrated. She sighed. "At least our relationship will be interesting." She didn't add what was on both their minds: if they ever even got to have one.

"And neither one of you will ever be bored."

Ino grinned slowly. "And have fights even more apocalyptic than Naruto and Sasuke's."

"And have the world's most conflicted children."

"Woah, woah. We're getting way ahead of ourselves now."

Another thing Ino hated about trains was that they were _noisy_. Ninjas were taught the importance of silence (a lesson some grasped better than others), but there was nothing discreet about a train. She frowned at it, some of that old fear coming back, before closing her eyes for a long moment.

"I'll call you," Ino said, taking Chouji's hand and squeezing it. "I'll call and email you guys every day. Don't worry about me."

"That's impossible."

Ino smiled broadly and falsely, reaching over to hug Chouji tightly. "Hey, everything will be fine. Don't stress too much."

Chouji hugged her back and frowned as he watched her board the train, shoving his hands in his pockets. As the train took off, he sighed and looked down at Shikamaru, who was standing beside him.

"She's right," he sighed. "I'm a stupid coward."

Chouji smiled and pat his back. "Only when it comes to girls."

"Just this one, I think." Shikamaru watched the train darkly. "Women are way too troublesome."

Chouji's smile became a grin. "Just this one," he parroted back, taking a swig from the water Ino forgot. "I must say, though, that shade of red looks dashing on you."

Shikamaru may have been blushing ever so slightly as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

ooooo

Ino sat in the far corner of one of the trains many compartments. She made sure to surround herself by people, what she figured a normal woman would do while traveling alone. She wanted a compartment to herself, but it was safer to avoid any form of confrontation altogether. Men already stared. She didn't want to be alone with one.

She wanted to look at the letter from the higher-ups even though it wasn't necessary. She had already imprinted the letter to memory. Go to the charity gala held at The Leave, a five star hotel that used the industrialization to its full potential. The gala was invite only and Katsuo would be there. The higher-ups gave her a name, a history, several pictures of Katsuo, and a suite. All she had to do was seduce him.

"Don't let your intelligence show. Be ditzy," Tsunade had advised. "If he thinks you're stupid, he'll be more likely to open up. He'll think you won't understand. Work that naïveté. But don't overplay it, or he'll suspect something."

"Don't worry," Chouji had said. "He'll take one look and fall head-over-heels for you. Your job will be done before you even start it."

"Don't sleep with him," Shikamaru had growled when he thought she was asleep. Or maybe he knew she was awake. He was a genius, after all.

She didn't know about Shikamaru. He acted all possessive and jealous, and even _kissed_ her, but at the same time treated her like shit. Shikamaru was the king of mixed signals. Ino dropped her sunglasses over her eyes and thumped her head against the back of her seat. Stupid boys. Sometimes she wondered if they were worth it.

Then she thought of the kiss and the very few times Shikamaru could bother to be nice to her and realized that yes, they were. Despite their overall of suckiness.

About a half an hour later, she drifted off into a doze. Her senses were still in full gear, and she could feel the shadow thrum in attentiveness. She had only managed to catch a couple minutes of sleep when someone settled next to her, startling her awake.

The man had neatly combed brown hair and a stern face that looked like it had never been taught to be gentle. Even his smile was cold when he noticed she was awake. "Sorry for waking you up. I hope no one's sitting here."

Ino shook her head and pushed her sunglasses up into her hair. The compartment still had two or three people in it, but they were all disinterested.

"Traveling by yourself?"

For the life of her, Ino could not figure out why someone as apparently antisocial as him was striking up a conversation with her. He looked like someone jammed a lemon slice in his mouth and told him to chew.

"Yes," she answered smoothly, cultured tones tinged with nervous confusion. Completely opposite to her normally loud and excited voice. "For business. I'm representing my father."

"Oh?" asked the man.

"Yes," Ino answered with a smile. The man was being awfully prying. Well, he would have to try harder to get anything out of her.

"He wasn't able to make it himself?"

"Oh, no. My daddy's been ill for the past year." Actually, he was hale and hearty, still running off to go drinking with Shikato and Choza. She widened her eyes at the man. "But he'll be fine! He's a fighter." Adding truth to lies made them more believable.

"While I regret your father is ill, I am glad you are here to replace him."

Oh. That was sweet, she guessed. Despite his obvious awkwardness, he was trying to flirt with her. Ino furrowed her eyebrows. "I don't know. My daddy's so much better at these kinds of things than I am. It's so hard remembering everyone's names and faces."

The man smiled consolingly at her, but the smile died quickly after a short, pathetic life. "I'm sure you'll get used to it." The man cleared his throat and stood up. He pulled out a card from his back pocket and handed it to Ino, who took it delicately. "My boss has requested to meet with you. We will be staying at The Leaf."

Everything made so much more sense now. The man was simply a henchman for someone more important. Ino smiled and looked down at the gold embossed card.

**Lord Takahashi Katsuo**

Ino didn't drop the card or gasp. She smiled up at the henchman. "_The_ Lord Katsuo? I'll be sure to visit. I'm staying at The Leaf, too."

This was too convenient. Something made her nerves tickle, but she pushed it away. Take coincidences and run with them, but stay wary.

"He noticed you get on the train," the man explained, sensing her surprise. "Lord Katsuo had a business meeting in Sand Country and saw you enter the train during the stop at Leaf Country and wanted to meet you."

"I see." Ino smiled and pocketed the card. "What's your name?"

"Yori," the man said.

"Well, Yori, please tell Lord Katsuo that I would be happy to make his acquaintance."

And she smiled.

ooooo

Upon returning to Konoha Academy, Shikamaru went straight to Tsunade's office. She threw three kunai at his head when he slammed in and he batted them away. He had been expecting the attack.

"Shikamaru! What the hell do you think you're doing? I could have killed you!"

"You knew it was me." He leaned on the edge of her desk. She shrugged.

"Got to keep my men ready. What do you want?"

"Send me to Grass Country."

Tsunade crossed her arms. "Why?"

"Why else?"

Tsunade lit a cigarette and offered one to Shikamaru. He took one and lit it with steady hands, but drew in a bit deeply.

"I can't do that. You may ruin her mission."

"It's too dangerous. Her risk of failure is, what, in the eighty percentile range? Failure means execution. She _needs_ help."

"She'll be at a greater risk if you join her and blow her cover."

Shikamaru exhaled the smoke. "Then send me on a mission."

"What?"

"Put out my résumé as a right-hand man. Or secretary. Or bodyguard. Or _anything_. I'm a fucking genius. He'll want me."

Tsunade sighed out a cloud of smoke. "Or he'll be especially wary of you."

Shikamaru slammed an open palm on Tsunade's desk, startling her and her papers. He rarely showed his emotions like this. "I can't just sit on my ass and do nothing!"

"Calm down!" Tsunade snapped. She sighed and rubbed her temples, swirls of smoke following her hand. "Okay, Shikamaru. I'll see what I can do. But don't make a habit of this. I know she's your teammate—"

"I'm not going to let her die." He looked Tsunade in the eye. She slowly dropped her hands to her desk. She had no response to that. Shikamaru smiled bitterly and walked out.

_end chapter two_

**A/N:** Okay, so this chapter is a bit more serious than the first. But it'll be a little more lighthearted than this, I think. C&C is always welcome. ♥


	3. A Little Help

**Catch**  
Chapter Three: A Little Help (From My Friends)  
by Clara

The Leaf was like nothing Ino had ever seen before. It was at least as big as Konoha Academy, but made it look like a shack in comparison. The ceilings were high and vaulted, the floor was shiny enough to see her reflection in, and everything was _sparkling_. People sat on the wall of an indoor fountain while waiting for their companions to get their rooms or check out.

Ino was terrified.

She was not like Naruto. She never quite got used industrialization. Elevators still terrified her. Sometimes she would take the stairs all the way up to the 49th floor of Konoha Academy just to avoid the elevator and claim she was just getting her exercise. She didn't like being enclosed in such a small box going up to such a high place.

The Leaf sort of reminded her of an elevator. One that was dropping out from under her feet extremely quickly.

But she was a ninja. Ninjas could handle reservations and check-ins and elevators.

Except checking-in was much more challenging than she thought. The poor man behind the counter had to walk her through everything twice and verbally give her a detailed map. Luckily, acting sillier than normal gave her the opportunity to mask her genuine confusion. Widening her eyes and pursing full lips caused the clerk to instantly forgive her.

"Your luggage has been sent ahead to your room," the clerk explained for the third time. He at least _seemed_ more patient than normal. "You don't need to wait for it here."

Ino giggled and thanked him profusely, before turning and hurrying to the stairs, carrying her briefcase and small suitcase easily. She wouldn't let anyone near her baggage at the risk of them finding out just how heavy they were.

"Miss!" the clerk cried. "You're on the twentieth floor!"

Ino pretended not to hear him as she started up the first flight. Let them think she was going to learn a lesson the hard way. There was no way she was going to take an elevator if she didn't have to, especially not in a place like The Leaf.

Her room (which turned out to be a suite) was almost uncomfortably massive. She didn't think she would need a king sized bed, a large leather couch, a balcony, and a larger than normal ofuro. The bath resembled a _spa_. Tsunade must have helped out the owner of this hotel sometime in the past.

Ino hesitantly sat on the couch and looked up at the ceiling. There were cameras everywhere. She scowled. There had been cameras in the lobby, too. On her balcony, she was able to find one camera. Either Katsuo really _did_ rule the world and was ridiculously curious at what happened at The Leaf, or the owner of the hotel was suspicious. It was probably more of the second than the first. She sighed and lit a cigarette. She absolutely hated smoking, but put on a show to make it look like she really did inhale.

A fly landed on the camera's lense. Ino glanced at it and scrunched her nose. "Ewww." She squished it with her cigarette. The camera sparked angrily and fizzed smoke and she relaxed against the railing, pulling out her portable phone.

Chouji answered after the second ring. He beamed at the screen. "Ino!"

"Hi, Chouji," she grinned. "Everything's going smoothly, so far. How's—" She caught herself. It was rude to call a friend and the immediately ask about someone else.

Chouji caught on quickly, though, and smiled. "He's fine. A little restless."

"Restless."

"Well, okay, so he took a shorter nap than normal. The students were surprised." Shikamaru had a horrible habit of assigning his students an especially hard project every day and then taking a nap while they worked on it. It never failed to surprise Ino that the students _always_ quietly did their work without taking advantage of the situation. Shikamaru said it was because they were scared of him. Ino had a feeling Shikamaru trapped all their shadows.

"Has he said anything about me?"

Chouji fell silent and looked guilty, which meant he hadn't. Ino slumped against the railing. "Chouji. God. Please put me out of my misery if I become one of those stupid pining girls. I wasted all that time on Sasuke, and I _cannot_ do that again with Shikamaru. It's too hard."

"I know, I know. And if he suddenly becomes an idiot for some reason, I'll put _him_ out of his misery." They both cracked a grin at that, because it didn't make any sense. "Have you talked to him?"

"Not yet," said Ino after a moment. "I'm—"

"Well," Chouji interrupted cheerfully. "Here's your chance!" The image on her screen blurred with movement before focusing on a horrified looking Shikamaru. Ino was sure her expression matched his. Shikamaru's eyes darted angrily to the left where Chouji was still standing, and then there was the most awkward silence Ino had ever experienced in her life.

"Shikamaru." Oh god. He was there the entire time. He heard everything. Heat rose to her cheeks. For some reason, that made Shikamaru blush, too. So there they were, hundreds of kilometers apart, blushing at each other over teles. "Tell Chouji I'm going to kill him."

"Heard that!" Chouji's disembodied voice responded. "Well, I'll leave you too alone. I'll call you later, Ino!"

Now they were hundreds of kilometers apart, blushing at each other over teles, alone. Shikamaru cleared his throat. "This is so..."

"...troublesome," Ino finished, cracking a small grin. Shikamaru grinned back.

"I was actually going to say awkward. Or uncomfortable."

"It's that, too."

They both relaxed marginally, seeming to remember that before they kissed, they were best friends.

"How was your trip?"

"It was fine," Ino said, which meant she would tell him all about it when she was in a safer area. Shikamaru understood this and nodded. "Soooo, what's going on with us, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru blanched. Ino suppressed a grin. He really did suck with women.

"We should talk about this later." As in, never. "When you come home. Soon."

Shikamaru was worried about her. She smiled. "Yeah, soon. I shouldn't talk long, though. Don't forget about me."

"As if I could forget about someone as obnoxious as you," Shikamaru said, but he was smiling slightly.

"I'll take that as a promise." She smiled brightly and kissed the screen. When she pulled back, Shikamaru looked slightly appalled.

"That was the scariest thing I've ever seen in my life."

"Hey!"

"It was like these two giant lips coming to eat me—"

Ino laughed. "Shut up. Miss you."

Shikamaru blushed. "Troublesome women."

"Troublesome men! Later, Shikamaru!" She closed the tele before he could respond, because she wanted the last word. She wiped the screen with her shirt.

The tele rang. Ino answered.

"Hey," Shikamaru said casually. Ino wanted to giggle, but she followed his suit.

"Hi," answered she, just as carelessly.

"So I was thinking."

"Yeah?"

Shikamaru kissed the screen. It really was a terrifying experience. Ino burst into laughter, even as he disconnected the call.

Shikamaru liked having the last word, too.

ooooo

Naruto ran full speed at Sasuke and Sasuke tensed in surprise. Naruto didn't stop—instead, he caught Sasuke around the waist and tackled him onto his couch, before perching his stomach like a deranged bird. Sasuke responded by attempting to smother Naruto with a pillow, but Naruto caught it in his mouth and didn't let go.

"That's fucking disgusting, Naruto," Sasuke grumbled. Naruto drooled messily on the pillow and Sasuke sighed. Sometimes he wondered if Naruto would ever grow up.

Naruto spat the pillow onto the floor and held up a scroll. "Mission."

"Oh, yeah?" Ignoring the fact he was being used as a human chair, Sasuke snatched the scroll out of Naruto's hand and opened it, quickly reading. Naruto peered over the top, reading upside down. He grinned. Naruto's canines were pointy.

"This should be interesting."

Sasuke frowned at him.

ooooo

The ballroom, Ino decided, was just as creepy as the rest of The Leaf. The Charity Gala wouldn't be for several more days, but there were several, smaller parties being thrown that she was subsequently invited to. Tonight there was a ball. Though she had arrived that night, Ino had forced herself to get ready and head down to the first party. She had to meet people, after all. Make connections.

Her dress was uncomfortable.

She had gone for something simple yet elegant. A black, strapless dress that clung to her body until her calves, where it flared out slightly. Her hair was pulled up in a simple twist and she finished the look with a white pearl necklace and white pearl earrings. It almost felt as if she were twelve again, bound with rolls and rolls of bandages in an attempt to keep herself from gaining weight.

People whispered about her, forgetting how to be discreet. Or rather, they were trying to be discreet but failed miserably since they were staring, anyway. Ino pretended to be oblivious about it. She figured it was because she was a new face who didn't have a date.

"Champagne?"

Ino had heard him walk up to her, but she pretended to jump anyway. "L-Lord Katsuo!" The stutter in her voice, however, was genuine.

He handed her the flute and smile charmingly. He was just as handsome in real life as he was in the picture. Ino's skin crawled.

"Please, call me Katsuo. Did you get my message?"

Ino nodded once and sipped the champagne, needing a moment to regain her composure. Her heart was pounding furiously. This may be her future murderer.

"It's nice to see a new face around here." His smile was genuine. "It gets kind of boring looking at the same people all the time."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, too. I'm Hanafuda Ayame," said Ino, voice more bubbly than the champagne. "And I don't know. They seem interesting."

"I suppose you could say that." Katsuo leaned a little closer. "See the slender lady with black hair? Not that one, the one in the white dress. Her name is Mlle. Isa, from Wave Country. She just left her husband."

"That's terrible," Ino said, widening her eyes.

"Not really. He was sleeping with his secretary."

Ino frowned. "I can see why she would leave him, then."

"Oh, no. It's not for the reason you think." Katsuo grinned. "She was sleeping with his secretary, too."

Ino couldn't help it. She laughed, and it wasn't fake. When she looked at Katsuo again, he seemed a bit mesmerized.

"It's refreshing to meet someone like yourself," Katsuo said. "You're much more genuine than the rest."

Ino was struck by the irony. The constant bright smile was starting to hurt her cheeks. "Thank you."

"Would you like to accompany me to the Charity Gala?"

He was certainly forward. Then again, she supposed she would be too if she had his kind of money and power. "Of course!" she stuttered out, ducking her head to pretend like she was hiding a blush. "I'm flattered you'd want to take someone like me," she said softly, and believed that Chouji was possibly right when he said Katsuo would take one look at her and her mission would be done.

Katsuo's eyes were uncomfortably intimate. "I would love to get to know you."

Oh good lord. She wouldn't be surprised if his next request would be to join him in his bed. She set the champagne flute down. "Would you like to dance?"

"You read my mind."

Ino was not exactly the best dancer in the world. She never really had the opportunity to learn. But she followed his lead and pretended like she was learning a complicated kata where she had to do everything he did, but backwards.

"You're tense," he murmured in her ear. She shivered, not from pleasure.

"I'm unused to having so many eyes on me," she whispered back. It was true. _Everyone_ there was watching her and Lord Katsuo.

"I find that hard to believe. You're beautiful."

For god's sake. Could he get any smarmier? For a moment, she desperately missed Shikamaru. At _he_ wasn't oily. "Thank you." She smiled sweetly at him.

"I insist you dance only with me for tonight. I couldn't bear to see you in another man's arms."

Well, this is what she wanted, right? This was her mission. Make Lord Katsuo fall for her, and then slit his throat. He was just making it easier for her. "I wouldn't want to dance with anyone else," she giggled. "I doubt anyone could dance as well as you."

He got that strange, entranced look again, and not for the first time since they started dancing, Ino wanted to run in the opposite direction. He didn't let go when the first song ended, merely changing paces for the second song. People were starting to whisper again. It looked strange for a well-known bachelor to dance only with one person.

By the fourth dance she requested for a break, pretending to be out of breath and thirsty. He brought her another flute of champagne, which she sipped when he was looking, and threw back when he wasn't, reaching to grab another from behind his back.

By the end of the night, she had enough alcohol in her system to pretend like she was drunk. Most the guest were already completely faced, so she didn't have to worry about looking out of place. Even Katsuo appeared to be slightly tipsy.

"Let me take you to your room," Katsuo offered, arm snugly around her waist. Ino giggled and leaned heavily against him.

"Ah ah." She poked his chest playfully. Hard as a rock. Katsuo was probably stronger than he looked. "Not on the first night." She unfocused her eyes. "Maybe on the second."

"I'll remember that," Katsuo promised, stopping at the elevator. Ino frowned at it. "Besides," he continued, oblivious to her sudden discomfort, "I really should stay and mingle. Do you think you'll make it to your room all right?"

Ino swatted his arm gently. "Of course. All I have to do is go up." She looked up and pointed up, and stumbled backwards. He tightened his grip and she turned her head to face him.

"Join me for breakfast," he insisted, looking down at her. She giggled and nodded, and he swooped down and kissed her.

It was dry and boring. Like paper. He even tasted boring. Ino frowned against his lips and flung her arms around his neck, deepening it. Still boring. But he dragged it on torturously for a long and unexciting moment. Finally, he pulled back and gave her that weird, dazed look, smiling brightly.

"Wow," he said.

"Yeah," Ino agreed, hoping she looked dazed and not disinterested.

"You're an amazing kisser."

"You too." She smiled brightly and stood on her tiptoes, giving him another quick kiss. Luckily, the elevator doors opened before he could trap her in a tedious make-out session. "Goodnight, my lord."

"My lady," Katsuo said with a smile. Ino stepped into the elevator and smiled at him until the doors closed. She held the close button down. When she felt his chakra disappear, she punched the open button and escaped to the stairs.

In the safety of her balcony, Ino flipped her phone open and dialed Shikamaru's number. When he answered, there was a grumpy frown-line between his eyebrows. His hair was down and, from what Ino could see, he was topless.

"Ino," he said sleepily, rubbing an eye. Ino's heart pounded. She got more excited just _looking_ at Shikamaru. "What time is it?"

"Two a.m." she said, leaning on the balcony and smiling at him. He blinked at her, gaze sharpening.

"Fuck," he exhaled.

Ino blinked. "Hm?"

"You should keep that dress."

Ino put her hand to her face. She couldn't fake a blush, but Shikamaru could make her color with just a look. "I can't believe it. You're a _pervert_."

"Am not." Shikamaru smiled lewdly and leered. Ino wished she could hit him. Shikamaru chuckled because he knew what she wanted. He lit a cigarette even though she glared at him.

"At least don't do that in your room."

"Why are you calling so late, Ino?" he asked, tilting his head to carefully puff out a smoke ring. Show off.

She waited until he took another drag from his cigarette before she spoke again. "I was kissed." He choked, of course. "Told you those weren't good for your health."

"You did not," he wheezed, coughing a bit.

"Well, they're not."

Shikamaru waved his hand in annoyance, eyebrows furrowed. "He _kissed_ you? Already?"

"Yeah."

Shikamaru looked murderous.

Ino smiled. "It was boring."

"Boring."

"_Excruciatingly_ boring. It was dry and proper and—god, don't you _get_ it?" She was getting excited. Maybe she was a little drunk. "You kiss me once and—and I'm ready to crawl all over you. Oh god. What the fuck am I saying? I'm kind of drunk." Okay, that was a good excuse. Shikamaru was looking a little stunned. "You kissed me _once_ and—and I couldn't _breathe_. I couldn't breathe, Shikamaru. One kiss. One. I made out with that guy and it nearly put me to sleep. And it was _slimy_. His kiss. Not ours. Ours was like—_god_, I can't even put it into words."

Shikamaru's Adam's apple bobbed when he swallowed. "Ino—"

"He even _tasted_ boring. You taste like cigarettes, which should be absolutely disgusting, but you tasted like something more and I keep thinking about it and—god, I want to kiss you so badly and just _hold you_ and you can stop me any time now Shika—"

"Ino," he graciously cut her off and she closed her mouth quickly.

"Ow."

He looked confused.

"Bit my tongue," she explained, hand against her lips.

"Ino," he looked as frustrated as she felt. "I can't _do_ this without you. I can't function correctly. Finish your mission soon."

"Okay," she said a bit meekly behind her fingers.

"Don't sleep with him," he growled, and her lips twitched.

"Right. Goodnight, Shikamaru."

"Goodnight, Ino."

ooooo

Breakfast the next morning found Katsuo and Yori at a table out on one of The Leaf's many terraces. Katsuo had his portable computer out and was typing away, pausing only to reach for his coffee. Ino stood at the glass doors, holding her bowl of fruit uncertainly. The top button of Katsuo's shirt was undone and his ponytail was a bit loose, and he exuded an air of power and superiority. He still freaked Ino out a little, even if he was a boring kisser.

"Ayame!" Katsuo stood up quickly, standing up to stride purposefully over to her and kiss her welcome. Still boring. And cocky. She kissed back, because it was the proper thing to do, but her eyes weren't all the way closed. His computer sat open at the table and was much more interesting than the kiss.

Bingo.

"Good morning, Katsuo," she breathed out sweetly. Yori was giving her that pinched look. She sort of wanted to stick her tongue out at him.

"I'm glad you could make it. You look absolutely stunning."

"You don't look too shabby yourself," Ino said, caressing his arm. Yori looked even more pinched.

"Sit down, please."

She took the seat next to Katsuo's and didn't frown when he closed the laptop.

"Did you have a good night's rest?"

"Yes, the beds are so comfortable, here!" Ino giggled, peeling a grape.

"I don't know," Yori said stiffly, "I find The Leaf's accommodations sub par."

Ino's smile dropped. That was a dig at her.

"I'm glad you had a nice rest," Katsuo said, beaming. "Yori, you're fired."

"_What_?"

Ino was equally surprised. Sure, she expected Katsuo to reprimand him in some way, but not to _fire_ him.

"Now, now. It was going to happen regardless. I've found someone better. He'll be arriving this evening. Run along, now." He turned to face Ino. "Would you like to visit the city with me today?"

"Um, sure," Ino said, eyes wide.

"That's good." Katsuo smiled gently at Yori. "Are you still here? Go on."

Yori stood up, entire body quaking, and walked out with as much dignity as he could muster.

They spent the day exploring the city. Katsuo would stop and point things out to her, describing the historical meaning and how he, in some way, owned it. Ino spent most the day smiling blandly and nodding, feigning interest and wishing she could just kill him and get it over with. Sometimes he would get a call and completely forget about her, yelling into the phone distractedly. Ino was especially interested in these conversations. She made mental notes of the names of businesses or people he would shout.

Everybody watched him. Everybody knew him. Nobody stopped him, though—which was unsurprising because Katsuo's bodyguards made it completely obvious they were armed and aware.

She told him stories about her life that were completely untrue. What it was like to grow up as the eldest of a prominent business man. She made up intricate and amusing and cliché tales about her and her 'friends', how she 'borrowed' her mother's most expensive dress for a school dance and of course ruined it with punch, how her father would always bring her and her family to all the different countries while he went on business trips. She explained each trip in great detail—Ino had been to almost every different country, it was true, but it was usually to assassinate someone.

She left that part out.

Ino couldn't help but to enjoy the city. It was large and rambling and complicated. She wanted to explore the darker parts, perhaps with Shikamaru and Chouji. She wanted to meet the people who held the city together. With Katsuo though, she was as much as an untouchable fixture as the labyrinth-like skyscrapers.

By the time they returned to the hotel, the sun was setting. Ino acted as if she were tired, dragging her feet a bit and leaning on Katsuo's arm. The day had been filled with stolen kisses. It made her mouth feel ashen.

"If you are interested," Katsuo had propositioned during lunch that day, "you should come visit it me in my room. I'm staying in 3032."

Ino had giggled and said, "we'll see."

In the lobby, a girl with long blonde hair threw herself into Ino's arms.

"Big sis!"

"Naru—" Ino yelped, eyes huge. But Naruto's whiskers were hidden under layers of make-up and he was _very much_ a she, though her pigtails were replaced by one long ponytail. "Naru_ka_! What are you _doing_ here?"

"Don't be silly! You knew I was going to be arriving tonight," Naruto fluttered, clinging to Ino's arm. "Or did you forget? _God_, Ayame, I told you a _million_ times. At least I think I did. Or did I forget?" She touched her lips thoughtfully and looked at the ceiling. "Oh well! Aren't you happy to see me? Besides, it's _so_ unseemly for a woman to travel alone."

Naruto was a frighteningly good actor. Ino was stunned. Katsuo was staring.

"Oh. Oh! You're—you're Lord Katsuo! Oh my god, Daddy will be so amazed! He's always admired you ever so much."

Ino wasn't sure if she should burst out laughing or what.

Katsuo seemed to regain his composure. He took Naruto's hand and kissed the back of it. "It's a pleasure to meet you, my dear. I see Ayame's good looks run in the family"

No matter how good an actor Naruto was, she could not keep the look of absolute horror and disgust from her face. Luckily, Katsuo's head was ducked down, and when he looked back up she was all smiles again.

"Oh my, you're quite charming."

And there was Sasuke, coming up to stand next to Naruto. His own spikes were combed back and he looked more than a little annoyed. Naruto grabbed Sasuke's arm.

"This is my husband, Ren!"

It was Sasuke's turn to look horrified. Actually, his expression didn't change much, but Ino had spent a good chunk of her life watching Sasuke, and she knew he was absolutely appalled. She supposed that hadn't been a part of their plans.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both." Katsuo bowed and smiled. "I'll be sure to see you at tonight's party? Ayame, I had a wonderful day with you. I'll see you tonight." He ducked down and kissed her gently.

The three didn't say anything until they got to Ino's balcony. As soon as the glass doors shut behind them, Ino and Naruto shuddered.

"Ugh. Ino. That guy is a creep." Naruto sat on the railing and rubbed the back of her hand fiercely.

"What are you doing here?" Ino hissed, though a large part of her was relieved. Though she was fully confident in her skills, Ino was sure not even Naruto or Sasuke could pull a mission like this off on their own. Back-up was always appreciated.

"We're here to help!" Naruto said cheerfully. Sasuke looked as if he wanted to push Naruto off the railing. Ino smirked.

"As husband and wife."

Naruto had the decency to look flustered. "Dude. Okay. That guy was skeezy. Did you see how he was looking at me?"

Ino grinned.

"Thanks, Ino," Naruto grumbled sarcastically. "Hey, hey! This place is _awesome._ And really bugged. But you have a big screen TV!"

Sasuke rubbed his temples as Naruto ran back into the suite to explore and probably break some cameras.

"So, why wasn't I invited to the wedding?" Ino asked jokingly.

"Shut up," Sasuke grumbled.

"I'm sure Naruto made a very lovely bride."

Sasuke once again looked horrified and slightly ill.

"Cigarette?" Ino offered, holding the pack to the man she once loved. He took it.

"Stupid idiot," Sasuke grumbled about the blonde who had just bumped into one of the large speakers and broke a vase which had a tiny camera hidden in one of those intricate engravings.

"Maybe a little," Ino agreed, fondly.

ooooo

Naruto absolutely hated dresses.

Ino had to force her into a dark blue evening gown for the night and had practically choked her with the silk scarf she was supposed to wear loosely around her neck. Ino had combed her hair and pulled it up into a twist similar to Ino's, leaving a few curls to frame Naruto's face. And _then_, to make matters even more unbearable, Ino had put _more_ make-up on her. The foundation used to cover the whiskers was bad enough, in her humble opinion.

"You know," Naruto had whispered to Sasuke as they entered the ballroom. "If you were my friend at all, you would put me out of my misery."

"Sorry, _honey_. No can do," Sasuke whispered back. They were walking arm in arm and pretending to look completely in love, though Naruto kept stepping on Sasuke with her heel and Sasuke kept pulling out strands of Naruto's hair, one by one.

"I hate you," Naruto grumbled. She smiled lovingly up at Sasuke and ground her heel on his foot.

"The feeling is more than mutual," Sasuke growled back and yanked out at least five strands of Naruto's hair at once.

Ino shoved them both on the small of their backs. "Move it, you two. Just be thankful this isn't a dancing party."

Both of them shuddered. Ino rolled her eyes and broke away from them, heading straight for the champagne table.

"Allow me," a smooth voice said and a champagne flute was handed to her.

She took the glass and smiled thankfully up at the man.

She dropped the glass. It shattered and spilled all over her shoes.

"Clumsy," Shikamaru said with a smile. "Napkin?"

_end chapter three_


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